Seasons
1990-91
Record: 32-24, first in American Conference Central Division of 16-team league.
Playoffs: Beat La Crosse 3-2 in best-of-five opener for first playoff series win; topped Omaha 4-1 in best-of-seven conference final; lost to Wichita Falls 4-3 in best-of-seven CBA Finals.
Scoring leaders: David Henderson 26.1, Milt Wagner 23.5, Melvin Newbern 20.5, Tony Harris 18.8.
Rebounding leaders: Ron Draper 12.0, T. Tony Brown 9.8, Barry Sumpter 9.2.
Assist leaders: A.J. Wynder 9.5, Stephen Bardo 4.9.
Year in review: The Thunder were muddling along, just a few games above .500, when some unknown kid out of Norfolk State signed on in late January. Barry Mitchell didn’t look like much of a player and only averaged 8.0 points in 14 regular-season games. But his hustle was contagious and his spunk sparked a season-ending six-game winning streak in which the Thunder averaged 134.8 points. ... Tony Harris and Milt Wagner averaged 25.1 and 21.1 points, respectively, over a 17-game postseason run that might have ended with the Thunder’s first CBA title if a) assist magician A.J. Wynder had not been called up to the NBA twice during the playoffs; and b) Mitchell hadn’t been sidelined for Game 7 in Wichita Falls after running head-on into a basket standard while hustling the Thunder back to life in a 100-98 Game 6 win three nights earlier. ... Midway through the playoffs, Mauro Panaggio announced his “retirement” to turn the team reins over to son Dan.